Combination floor covering



Nov. 20, 1956 R. FINE 2,771,383

COMBINATION FLOOR COVERING Filed Jan. 26. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet J jlwnirj//Eee L @wie m Nov. 20, 1956 R. FINE COMBINATION FLOOR 'COVERING 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26. 1954 United States Patent C) COMBINATIONFLOOR covERING Robert Fine, Chicag, nl.

Application January 26, 1954, `Serial No. 406,190 y 4 Claims. (cl.154-49)v This invention relates to improvements in oor coverings andmore particularly it relates to improvements in carpeting andunderpadding for carpeting. Specifically, the invention is directed tomeans for combining floor carpeting and an underlying padding mat inVsuch a manner that they co-act one with the other to afford a unitarylloor covering.

The use of pile carpeting and rugs together with underlying felt orrubber padding as lioor coverings is well known. In kthe case ofcarpeting the` customary method of application to iioors involves thetting ofthe same to each room individually from wall to wall and thenthe fastening of the edges to the floor, as by nailing. In the eventthat the carpeting is being laid on a concrete iioor, the laborious andexpensive preparatory operation of drilling holes in the iioor intowhich may be forced wooden plugs for receiving the nails must beresorted to. Moreover, once the carpet is more or less permanentlyfastened in place, it is most diliicult and economically non-feasible topick them up for any purpose, including the cleaning of the same. Hence,the cleaning of the rugs necessitates the additional expense andinconvenience of a visit to the site from a professional .rug cleanerwho must then clean the rug individually while it remains permanentlyaffixed in place.

Heretofore, it has been found that despite the abovementioned objectionsto the permanent aflixing `or nailing of the rugs to the lioor of theroom, this was the only satisfactory method of laying wall-to-wallcarpeting in such a manner that the carpet would remain in immovablerelationship on the floor even underfoot. Moreover, it was felt thatthiswas the only satisfactory method of preventing curling of the edgesof the carpet or rug.

Admittedly7 the permanent aflixing of the rug or carpet to the floor didprevent movement of the carpet and curling of the edges thereof.However, it did this at the expense and sacrifice offacility ofapplication and ready removal and portability.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a lioorcarpet which will overcome all of the disadvantages mentionedhereinabove.

An object relating thereto is to afford a carpet and mat which may beatiixed one to the other in such` a manner that the combination will befitted to the exact dimensions of the room without requiring thepermanent attachment of the carpet to the oor.

A further object is to afford a rug and mat which may be readilyattached one to the other thereby providing a unitary combination lloorcovering combining all of the individual properties of both the mat andthe carpet and further affording a removable iioor covering which issufliciently immobile that it will not move underfoot.

Still another object is to provide a combination floor covering whichmay be laid to tit any room from wall to wall and may be satisfactorilypositioned therein without necessitating the marring of the oors ormoulding ICC which would otherwise result from the nailing or similaraxing methods heretofore utilized.

Still a further object is to afford a lightweight carpet which may becombined with a padding mat in such a manner that the mat will impart tothe carpeting suicient weight and solidity to insure that the carpetwill lay flat properly without curling or wrinkling.

Yet another object is to provide a wall-to-wall floor covering which maybe readily maintained in a condition of sanitation and cleanlinessheretofore unachievable because of the difliculty in removing thepermanently affixed oor covering preparatory to transporting it to a rugcleaning establishment. An object relating'thereto is to provide simplereadily detachable fasteners, such as snaps, zippers, hooks and thelike, by means of which the edges of the carpet and padding mat may beattached one to the other. By detaching the carpet from the mat thecarpet may be readily removed for cleaning, leaving the mat as a oorcovering in the interim.

Yet a further object is to provide a fastening device for theabove-described carpet and mat assembly having means for compensatingfor any shrinkage which might occur as a result of washing or cleaningthe carpet.

Heretofore in the manufacture of carpets and rugs, it has been necessaryto provide a relatively heavy stili backing for the warp pile portion ofthe same. For this reason the backing was made with materials such asjute iibers and the like to aiord the necessary body and stiffness.Obviously, such carpeting was quite expensive and was one of the factorswhich limited the more universal use of this type of lioor covering.

It is therefore another important object of this invention to provide a:combination carpet and padding mat which because they are designed toco-act as a unitary floor covering, permit the manufacture of thecarpeting component with merely a thin backing sheet dispensing with thestilening fibers which have heretofore been employed therein.

As a result of the elimination of these stiffening fibers, the entireweight and bulk of the carpet may be materially reduced therebyaffording a carpet which may be more readily handled and transported.

Yet a further object is to provide an improved wallto-wall oor coveringwhich may be pre-cut to the proper shape and dimensions at the factoryor salesroom or, if desired, may be cut at the site and the necessaryfasteners attached after cutting.

Finally another object is to afford a combination carpet and underpad ofrelatively simple, inexpensive construction, yet durable and effectiveto accomplish the functions intended.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of :certain novel featuresof construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understoodthat Various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details ofthe structure may be made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I haveillustrated in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof,from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with thefollowing description, my invention, its mode of construction, assemblyand operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understoodand appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference areemployed to indicate corresponding or 3 similar parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary top plan view of a corner of a room with acarpet and mat combination embodying the principles of my inventionillustrated in operational position and with portions of the carpet andmat broken away to illustrate the details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation taken on the planeof line 2-2 of Fig. 1 of the drawings and viewed in the directionindicated;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating details ofconstruction of one of the fastener assemblies;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 andillustrating in elevation a modified method for com,- bining the carpetand mat;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of a corner of a room with mycarpet and mat invention illustrated in operational position similar tothat shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings but illustrating the modificationshown in Fig. 4 of the drawings;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing in elevation yet anotherembodiment of my combination carpet and pad invention; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary t-op plan view of the embodiment illustrated inFig. 6 of the drawings with portions of the mat and carpet broken awayto facilitate illustration of the fastening means.

Directing attention to Fig. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10indicates generally my combined carpet and fioor mat positioned on acorner of a room fioor 11 defined by a wall 14, a baseboard 16, and amoulding 18.

The carpet combination 10 may comprise a carpet 12 which (as noted inFig. 3 of the drawings) may be made of pile or similar warp threads suchas 14tufted Or in similar manner affixed at the base thereof to a basesheet 20. This base sheet 20 may be woven from textile weft threads 22and 24, such as cotton or wool, but without necessitating theinterweaving or auxiliary addition of reinforcing or stiffeningmaterials such as jute, hemp, and the like. The pile warp threads may beof any suitable material such as wool, cotton, rayon, nylon, and thelike,

The other member of the combination may comprise an underpadding matsuch as 26 which may be made of any satisfactory material such as felt,mohair, and the like but in the embodiment chosen for illustration ismade of sponge rubber. The bottom of the mat 26 may be made with asuction cup pattern such as 28 for the purpose of assisting inmaintaining the combination in immovable position on the floor.

Positioned in spaced aligned relationship with each other along themarginal edge of the pad 26 may be a plurality of fastening devices suchas 30. These fasteners 30 may be of any conventional type such as hooks,zippers, buttons, etc., but in the embodiment cho-sen for illustrationcomprise a snap-type fastener in which a female member 32 is mounted inthe pad 26 opening to the top as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Acooperating male member such as 34 may be mounted in the bottom side ofthe carpet 12. The fasteners 30 may be made of any suitable materialsuch as metal, fiber, hard rubber, plastic or the like and if desiredmay be clothbacked.

ln Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be noted that the male member34 of the fastener 30 is spaced inwardly from the edge of the carpetsufficiently so that a marginal portion 36 of the rug overlays the edgesof the mat 26. In this manner a neater appearance is presented with themat 26 completely hidden from view. As further noted in Fig. ;2 of thedrawings, the extreme edge portion 38 of the carpet 12 may be foldedover and stitched as at 40 for the purpose of binding the edges of thecarpeting thereby preventing unravelling of the component threads.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings there is illustrated j bent under theedge of the mat 26 so that the members of the snap fastener face eachother and are aligned one with the other for joining together.

It will be noted that again a marginal portion 66 of the rug is providedto overlay the edge of the mat. This overlaying marginal portion 36affords a simple but practical means for compensating for any shrinkagewhich might occur during the washing or cleaning of the rug. Obviously,in the event the rug should shrink, this shrinkage may be compensated bymerely reducing the width of the marginal portion 36 until the fastenerelements are properly aligned.

In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings there is illustrated a `combinationcarpet and mat with a modified form of fastening device. Similar partsare indicated by like numerals with the added sufiix a In thismodification the marginal edge of the carpet 12a is provided with agrommet 42. The adjacent marginal edge of the pad 26a is provided with adoublyapertu-red disc 44 laligned with the grommet 42. A tie string suchIas 46 may be threaded through the apertures 48 and 50 of the disc andthen through the opening 51 of the grommet 42. The ends of the tiestring may then be tied together as at 52. By this means the carpet maybe joined to the pad in the degree necessary to insure their co-actingtogether in the manner desired. Additionally, however, there is providedsufficient exibility to compensate not only for shrinkage in the carpetbut also to compensate for any deviation from exact alignment betweenthe component parts of the fastening members.

From the foregoing description it should be evident that I have provideda novel carpet and pad combination by means of which wall-to-wallcarpeting of the floor of a room may be accomplished withoutnecessitating permanent attachment of the carpet to the oor asheretofore required. By eliminating the necessity of nailing orsimilarly afxing the carpet to the floor, the floors and moulding arepreserved in their original condition without marring or piercing. Theedges of the carpet and pad are joined together in such a manner thatthe entire pad and carpet co-act as a unitary floor covering. Thus,sufficient body and stiffness is imparted to the carpet by the pad so asto eliminate the necessity for fabricating the carpet with auxiliarystiffening fibers. For this reason also the carpet may be made with athinner backing sheet, of a lighter weight and smaller bulk. Since thecarpet and rug may be readily disengaged one from the other, the carpetmay be removed as desired, especially for cleaning purposes, leaving thepad as a temporary floor covering.

lt is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly,and many of its advantages should be readily understood from theforegoing without further description, and it should also be manifestthat while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed for illustrative purposes, the structural details arenevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of myinvention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

l. A floor covering comprising, in combination, a compressiblc pad anda. carpet of substantially complemental configuration releasably heldtogether in a unitary assembly with the vcarpet superimposed on the pad,each side edge of the carpet being substantially longer than .theadjacent side edge of the pad, a plurality of cooperable, disengagablefastening devices secured on the pad and carpet intermittently spacedalong the marginal edges of each with each fastening device on thecarpet aligned with a fastening device on the pad, the marginal edges ofthe carpet being folded over and under on all sides with the lines offold outwardly spaced from the marginal edges of the pad to provide arelatively wide carpet hem surrounding the pad, said aligned devicesbeing matingly engaged to hold said carpet and pad in said assembly andreleasable to permit the width of the hem to be adjusted to accommodatefor variation in the dimensions of the carpet.

2. A oor covering as described in claim l in which the fastening devicesare provided on the undersides of said carpet and pad and the marginaledges of the pad are sandwiched in said hems.

3. A floor covering as described vin claim 1 in which the marginal edgesof the pad are disposed exterior of the hems.

4. In a readily removable oor covering, comprising a light-weightunstiiened carpet and a sponge rubber pad, said carpet overlaying saidpad; a plurality of multimembered fastening devices mounted inintermittent spaced relationship one with the other along the marginaledges of the carpet and pad, said fastening devices adapted to join saidcarpet and pad in cooperating relationship whereby the pad impartsstiffness to the carpet, each of said fastening devices comprising agrommet axed in the marginal edges of Ithe carpet, an apertured discafxed in the marginal edge of the pad, and a tie string joining thegrommet and disc together in operational relationship.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 760,392Gullian May 17, 1904 971,511 Wolcott Sept. 27, 1910 1,859,922 HollandMay 24, 1932 2,016,876 Stolzen'berg Oct. 8, 1935 2,522,612. Harben Sept.19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 343,730 Germany June 15, 1919 441,239 GreatBritain Jan. 15, 1936

4. IN A READILY REMOVABLE FLOOR COVERING, COMPRISING A LIGHT-WEIGHTUNSTIFFENED CARPET AND A SPONGE RUBBER PAD. SAID CARPET OVERLAYING SAIDPAD; A PLURALITY OF MULTIMEMBERED FASTENING DEVICES MOUNTED ININTERMITTENT SPACED RELATIONSHIP ONE WITH THE OTHER ALONG THE MARGINALEDGES OF THE CARPET AND PAD, SAID FASTENING DEVICES ADAPTED TO JOIN SAIDCARPET AND PAD IN COOPERATING RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY THE PAD IMPARTSSTIFFNESS TO THE CARPET, EACH OF SAID FASTENING DEVICES COMPRISING AGROMMET AFFIXED IN THE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE CARPET, AN APERTURED DISCAFFIXED IN THE MARGINAL EDGE OF THE PAD, AND A TIE STRING JOINING THEGROMMET AND DISC TOGETHER IN OPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP.